Humble Refusal
by Lyra Mae Rose
Summary: The Straw-Hats had all been offered something that, years ago, they'd accept in a heartbeat. But now, they have a different answer. "Sorry, but we already have a captain."


**Hey, guys! Here's another one-shot about Luffy and the Straw-Hat pirates. The idea came into my mind one day and I immediately started writing it. But, I always forgot to continue due to my other stories and my schedule. But now that I'm kinda free and I have some _ideas_ and I don't have _writer's block_ , I can finally finish this!**

 **As for the content, I'll just let the story do the talking.**

 **I don't own anything, by the way. One Piece is Oda's masterpiece. And have you seen tHE NEW UPDATES!? Go check it out, both the anime and the manga!**

* * *

After approximately two years they'd been together, the Straw-Hats were offered a lot of things. Money, shortcuts, treasure, fame, you name it. But, most of the deals were pathetic while others were unbelievably naive, so the nine-member pirate crew ignored them.

And usually, the people asking them tend to be idiots and didn't completely think it through. So, they never took it seriously nor did they ever think about it twice.

But there were times when people would ask one of the eight crew members when they were alone, and they'd offer something that, years ago, the Straw-Hat pirate would've accepted in a heartbeat.

* * *

Like the time when Nami was lounging alone at a poolside and a few men came up to her bench.

They had the face of an average pirate – meaning that they looked quite suspicious, but they didn't seem to want to harm her, at the time, so Nami didn't engage and merely had a talk with them like normal people.

Apparently, the men were treasure hunters and had the same addiction to treasure like her, so they spent the entire evening talking about them and _almost_ got along.

But then, they cut to the chase.

"Why don't you join us? We just found more than one billion berries worth of treasure. We'll share a big portion of it with you, but only if you be our navigator. What do you say, Cat Burglar Nami?"

Nami pulled back her sunglasses and gave them a smile.

* * *

Or the time when Chopper was buying some cotton candy and a tall man came by to introduce himself to the reindeer.

At first, Chopper was cautious of the man and eyed him suspiciously. But, the man chuckled and convinced the small doctor that he wasn't going to cause any harm. Chopper relaxed when he realized that he wasn't lying and told him that he was a doctor.

When the man told Chopper that he was also a doctor, coincidentally with the same objective as the reindeer, the next thing Chopper knew, he was having a long and detailed conversation with the man about rare antibiotics and illnesses that didn't have a cure yet.

They went to sit on a nearby bench, with Chopper eating his candy, and continued their talk. Chopper told the man some of his knowledge and the man did the same. That day, Chopper gained more information in the span of a few hours compared to what he had gained back at Drum Island two years ago.

But then, the man gave him an offer.

"You know, I have a research facility on the outskirts of this village. My team goes on expeditions to various places in the New World. Right now, we just discovered around ten cures for the so-called ' _incurable_ ' diseases. With your knowledge, I bet we can discover a cure for every single one of them by the end of this year. What do you say, Tony Tony Chopper?"

Chopper licked his cotton candy and grinned.

* * *

Or the time when Sanji was buying ingredients at a fish market and a few chefs recognized him before politely asking some advice about cooking.

Sanji, being his generous self, agreed and spent the rest of the evening teaching those guys a thing or two. They weren't going to set out for another day anyway, so Sanji had plenty of time in his hands.

The chefs learned fast and soon, they were cooking like professionals, much to Sanji's disbelief. But at some point during the lesson, the conversation suddenly switched from the process of deep frying fish to the _All Blue_ , of all things.

One of the chefs accidentally blurted out about his dream to find All Blue, and Sanji couldn't resist. He had only known a handful of men who had the same dream as him, and most of them were already dead or had gone off to some faraway place. So when he heard the chef's accidental slip-up, the blonde immediately dived right into the conversation, cooking lesson be damned.

Then, after a ridiculous amount of time talking about the dream sea, one of the chefs held out his hand.

"We have a floating restaurant at the docks, similar to the one you used to work at. Right now, we're the only chefs there and it's not as popular as we hoped, but with your help, we can make it the best restaurant in the New World! Join our ship, then we can do that _and_ find the All Blue together, Black Leg Sanji!"

Sanji smiled at the offered hand and outstretched his.

* * *

Or the time when Brook was watching a parade (he'd been separated with the others not a few minutes ago) and a small group of people stood beside him, seemingly to watch the parade as well.

"You like music?" One man asked him.

Brook laughed. "Very much so. It is a wonderful thing."

"Indeed, it is." The man answered. "We very much like it too."

And then, all of them instantly engaged in a conversation about both music and the joy of playing it. The man told Brook that they were actually a band that traveled to the New World, and were currently doing their regular stop at this island to perform.

They traveled by ship that, apparently, contained numerous music instruments and even had its own musical stage. Judging by how they described their fans, the band was quite popular.

"Why don't you join us? We're going to travel south after this, and dock at the next island to perform. We also plan to take a break and come back next year, through the Reverse Mountain. I heard that a friend's waiting for you there. If you go with us, you'll be able to meet your friend faster, will you not?"

Brook couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Or the time when a pirate captain advanced towards Zoro while he was having some booze at a local bar.

The swordsman was gulping down his fifth glass when the captain sat on the empty stool beside him. Zoro spared him a sideway glance but otherwise continued his drinking. The captain looked at Zoro's swords and asked, "You're a swordsman?"

Zoro burped. "Yeah."

"I see," the captain said, pausing. "You know, my crew's full of swordsmen just like you and-"

Zoro rolled his eyes as he tuned out the captain's words and merely continued his drinking. He was familiar with the tactic. This was just another pathetic idiot trying to woo him over, and they weren't worth his time nor his booze. So the pirate captain babbled on, unaware that he was being blissfully ignored by the green-haired man.

Until some of his words finally caught Zoro's attention.

"-we also know the whereabouts of Dracule Mihawk, and we intend to come visit him after this. My men are going to have continuous sparring matches every day before we meet the guy. Why don't you come along? If you train with my men, I'm sure you'll improve faster than ever. And this way, won't you complete your dream a lot faster, Pirate Hunter Zoro?"

Zoro put down his glass and merely stared at him.

* * *

Or the time when Franky was at a mechanic shop, torn between buying two certain tools and a man came over to him and advised to buy the one on Franky's left hand.

The man gave Franky special advice that the cyborg had never heard of before and he also showed him some tips and tricks on making his inventions safer yet more durable.

Franky could honestly say that this man was _almost_ at the same level as his mentor, Tom.

The man must've seen something in Franky because he gave him a wrench with a small red symbol engraved on the center.

"I'm part of a community called the Grease Monkeys. We build the best machines and ships in the New World. You can find every tool imaginable in our giant workshop. With your skills, you're more than qualified to join, Cyborg Franky."

Franky grinned as he held the wrench in his hand.

* * *

Or the time when Robin was reading a history book at the bookstore and a young woman approached her.

The woman knew that Robin had an interest in history, so she gave her a book about the Void Century. Robin was surprised at the amount of detail in the book and asked a lot of questions, which the woman answered accurately.

Turns out, that woman was one of the best archaeologists in the New World and she happily told Robin some of her own knowledge. Robin was very delighted and she ended up talking with the woman for many hours.

And then, the woman gave Robin a suggestion.

"Why don't you join me? I currently have a big lead to the Void Century mystery, and I believe it's on the next island. If I'm right, I'll be able to solve a big part of the missing history. If you come, I'm sure we can solve the mystery together, Nico Robin."

Robin closed the book and giggled.

* * *

Or the time when Usopp was taking a look at an ammunition store window and someone sauntered over to him.

"You're Yasopp's son, aren't you?" The man asked.

"Huh?" Usopp was surprised at the sudden question. "Y-Yeah."

"I knew it!" The man exclaimed. "You look so similar to him!"

"You know my old man?" Usopp asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I'm a friend of his. We traveled together for a while until I joined my own pirate crew. You wanna hear a few stories?"

That was how Usopp and the man, later introduced as Gonzo, talked under the shade of a nearby tree for hours. Gonzo told Usopp ridiculous stories about his adventures with Yasopp and the man's wild personality traits after they somehow got away from a near-death situation.

Usopp listened to the whole thing in pure awe.

After Gonzo finished, he gave Usopp an offer.

"I'm gonna stop at Red-Hair Shanks's ship after this, I have a few things to offer them. You wanna tag along? I'm sure your father would be happy to finally see you, Sniper King Usopp."

Usopp blinked before he slowly smiled and tipped his hat.

* * *

So you see, the Straw-Hats had been offered something that, years ago, they'd accept in a heartbeat. But now, they have a different answer.

"Sorry, but we already have a captain."

That was what the eight Straw-Hats answered to every offer they had gotten. They might not have been offered simultaneously, but all of their answers were one and the same. Even though the offer was something they had _yearned_ for many, many years, but now they had something – or _someone_ – more important than any of that.

They had their precious captain waiting for them back at the Thousand Sunny, no doubt eager to start their next adventure. They couldn't keep him waiting for so long now, could they?

With that in mind, the Straw-Hats humbly refused.

Nami took her belongings and walked away from the poolside.

Chopper politely thanked the man and left.

Sanji gently slapped the hand away.

Brook tipped his hat and withdrew into the crowd.

Zoro paid the bartender and went out of the bar.

Franky gave the wrench back and exited the shop.

Robin returned the book and set out for the docks.

Usopp gave a two-finger salute and stood up, walking away.

Most people would probably stare at them like they'd gone mad or something. Who would, in their right mind, turn down the very offer that they had been desiring for years? It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, yet they simply _walked away_.

Even so, the crew knew that this was the right decision.

Because whenever they got back to the ship and saw their captain there, his signature grin in place when he spotted them back, all of them knew in their heart that yes, _this_ was what they currently desired.

And the Straw-Hats wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

A man watched as a boy sat a few tables away from him, devouring his meal at breakneck speed. He was, no doubt, the boy that he was looking for. He heard from a few villagers earlier that the boy was at this restaurant so he came here as soon as he could. And, he definitely wasn't disappointed.

Now, all he needed to do was to get that boy on his ship. The man watched as the boy ate another piece of meat and grinned. That'd be easy as pie.

Then, the man slowly walked over to the boy and grabbed a chair. "Hey, kid. Mind if I sit here?"

"Nope!" The boy grinned. "Be my guest!"

"Thanks," The man smiled, sitting down next to the boy. "You know, my pals and I just came here from a meat island."

The boy halted instantly and he turned to the man with an excited grin. "Woah, really!?"

"Yeah! And, it had a _lot_ of meat there!" The man emphasized. "Do you know one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom?"

"Yeah." The boy nodded.

"Well, the meat island was just like her candy island, only it's made of meat! Every single part of the island was covered in meat!"

The boy's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store and he began to drool. "Really? That sounds delicious!"

"It does, doesn't it?" The man chuckled, then he leaned over to whisper at the boy. "Why don't you come with me and my crew? I'm gonna go over there again after we get out of here. What do you say?"

The boy was silent for a moment before a smile slowly emerged on his face. The man's grin slowly grew, knowing that he had succeeded. All that's left was to somehow get him to talk and-

"Sorry, old man," The boy said instead, breaking the man's train of thought.

The man blinked. He was about to ask why when the boy raised his head and the man instantly froze, surprised that all of the childishness from earlier had disappeared.

The boy's brown eyes bore into the man's own, his gaze so determined it made the man sweat and he almost gulped. Then, the boy's smile turned to a grin. "But, I already have a crew."

After that, the boy quickly put on his famous straw hat on his head and left without a word, leaving the man there, dumbfounded.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it, and you can give me new ideas by reviewing.**

 **This is rare for me to share (I'm kinda in a good mood right now) so...cookies? (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)**

 **Just six, okay? NO MORE!**


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